Manic Street Preachers announce gigs in Australia in conjunction with the British Lions tour

Manic Street Preachers have announced plans for a series of concerts in Australia in conjunction with British & Irish Lions tour in the summer.

The band have lined up shows in Melbourne and Sydney in June so they can watch the team take on Australia. They will also travel to Auckland, New Zealand, during a break between games. The Welsh trio made the decision after they heard the news that 15 Welsh players will be among the 37-man squad for the 10-match tour.

They said in a statement: "As massive rugby fans the chance to visit one of our favourite countries, play some gigs and watch the British & Irish Lions play Australia is an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity. We can't wait to play a selection of our greatest hits to our Australian fans and the thousands of Lions fans travelling Down Under."

The Manics are also due to play Festival No 6 at the village of Portmeirion in North Wales over the weekend of September 13-15. Other acts on the bill include Neon Neon, James Blake, Everything Everything, Jagwar Ma, Temples and Aluna George. For more information head to Festivalnumber6.com now.

They recently revealed that they are working on a new song called 'Four Lonely Roads' with folk singer Cate Le Bon. The band posted the latest update from their recording studio, where they are holed up working on their next studio album in March.